Been away for a while - many thanks to Gmac for sorting out my log-in probs!
Was wondering if anyone saw the "snakezilla" on the Nat Geo channel the other night?
Apparently there is a problem in the Florida Everglades with released Burmese Pythons killing off the indigenous snake population and other protected animals but i was shocked that they caught such a huge pregnant python and then killed her. Surely there must be zoos and reputable collectors who would have taken on the care of such a magnificent creature. Moreover, I was surprised with the general tone of the program, the title it's self etc was so anti-snakes. The people filmed seemed so happy to have "euthanized" the largest snake ever found. I think the whole thing was in really bad taste.
The other point that really shocked me was that the program made this big point that a boa had escaped from its enclosure one night and killed the baby sleeping upstairs in her cot. The couple found the baby dead in the morning. I know its a horrible thing to talk about, but would a snake kill a baby just like that, not for food ?
The whole program made me feel really sad and angry.
Unfortunately tv programs and other articles tend to put such a negative spin on most things snake related It is a shame that there aren't more snake lovers to even things out a bit.
Many zoos don't have the space to take on really big snakes. Some zoos take on peoples' unwanted burmese or retics that were pets until they got too big but there is only space for so many (hence why people are releasing them) and a snake of that size which has been living in the wild for so long would be very difficult to manage in captivity.
There are many stories about big snakes killing/endangering babies and I would be inclined to take these with a pinch of salt. Seems to me that there is always someone who knows someone who is the aunt of someone it happened to etc etc.
I didn't see the program but I have seen that one caught recently mentioned on another forum. I think the issue is that there are so many of them loose in the wild and most zoo's will already have one they are hard to re-home so they just kill them. There will be some reputable keepers that I am sure will home some but the authorities will be very careful who they let keep them to ensure they are not released again and the good keepers will be on short supply. It is a shame this has to happen and all caused by careless/ignorant so called keepers who set them free because they grew to large for them :(
Unfourtunatly over there the Burmese is a major problem in the wild. Its down to 2 reasons one is people releasing them into the wild when they get to big the second is a hurricane distroyed a large snake breding facility an a large amount of burms escaped into the wild.
Its that bigger problem there is now government restrictions on the breding an selling of them in many of the surround states too.
Can see where your coming from but there trying to get the problem they have over there under control which includes the government actively encouraging people to kill them if they see them. Its no differant to hunting over here being used to control fox population.
burm hunting (and killing) is encouraged in the everglades because the people want to preserve their own indigenous wildlife from an invasive non native species. I know it sounds a rough deal but I totally agree with what is being done there.
As for a boa killing not for food, I think thats highly unlikely - all that energy wasted for no return?
Its a shame for the animals as they weren't supposed to be there in the first place but the kill on sight initiative really was the last resort. They have tried steralising, moving and rehoming these creatures for years and it just wasn't good enough.
"Snakezilla" rant . . .
Posted - 19/08/2012 : 18:43:51
It is a shame that there aren't more snake lovers to even things out a bit.
